A closer look at the O’s first three draft picks of 2013

The Orioles clearly knew what they wanted to do heading into the first two rounds of the 2013 MLB 1^st Year Player Draft. With their three picks, they drafted three high school players that have tremendous upside. Young and with upside… something you’ve seen from the Orioles many times before.

The team started off their night by taking Hunter Harvey, a right-handed pitcher from Bandys High School located in Hickory, North Carolina. Harvey’s appearance is what you would expect to see from a young, big-arm pitcher. He’s listed at 6’3” 175 pounds at just 18 years old. Once he starts filling out and getting bigger and stronger, his low-to-mid 90’s fastball could turn into a consistent 93-96 MPH, similar to what you can see from Chris Tillman.

That fastball is impressive, but his curveball has the potential to be his “out pitch” once he faces hitters at a higher level. It isn’t a big looping deal like we see from Tillman; rather, Harvey’s is a quicker pitch that bites hard when it gets to the plate. On tape that I looked at, it’s an above average option and once he works with pitching coaches in the Orioles’ organization, I expect it to go perfectly with his fastball.

Harvey pitched locally for his high school and not too much on showcase teams, so it is tough to get a gauge on some of his pitches. He is known as a three-pitch pitcher (fastball, curve, change-up) but his change-up wasn’t seen as much on tape. It appears that he relied heavily on his one-two punch of the fastball and curve, but he’ll need to work on the change-up to be more effective. He can get away with it in high-school, but even the minor leagues are a completely different story.

Here are some impressive stats on Harvey via MLB.com:

As a senior, Hunter Harvey was 8-0 with 116 strikeouts and allowed just three earned runs. He gave up two extra-base hits over 54 2/3 innings and was named a starter for last year’s Under Armour All-America Game, played at Wrigley Field, in which he tossed three scoreless innings. In his junior season, Hunter Harvey went 7-0 with a 1.81 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 54 innings and has a changeup that’s typically a 10-15 mph differential from his heater, a pitch he said he needs to improve as a pro.

The Orioles went outfield with their 2^nd pick of the draft, 37^th overall, as they chose Josh Hart, an outfielder from Parkview High School located in Lilburn, Georgia.

Hart is listed as a center fielder with a 6’2” 180-pound frame. While he isn’t necessarily a power hitter, the 18-year-old looks and plays the part of the prototypical MLB leadoff hitter. He’s very quick, stealing 33 bases in the spring, according to MLB.com, and by looking at his swing, you can see why he is a potential big-league player.

He has a pretty big stride when gearing up to hit, and the swing can get a little long at times. Overall however, he’s a pretty sound left-handed hitter that will hit for average. His speed will help him when he gets into facing better defenses and the quickness he has will allow him to help a team play small-ball.

Perfectgame.org, a website that scouts out many prospects at big events, had very impressive things to say about Hart when watching him at the 2012 National Showcase in Minnesota. Here’s their full report on his play during the showcase event:

Josh Hart is a 2013 OF with a 6-2 180 lb. frame from Lilburn, GA who attends Parkview HS. Lean athletic build, getting stronger with more to come. Left handed hitter, leadoff profile, very patient hitter who will take walks, short swing with downward swing plane, has hand/eye coordination and handles the barrel, can turn on inside heat with hard pull LD contact, squares it up well, very aggressive baserunner. 6.49 runner, raw arm strength continues to improve, quick release, can improve jumps in CF but has plus range once underway. Tools and skills keep improving and still has projection. Good student, verbal commitment to Georgia Tech.

As shown in the video below, there’s a lot to like about Hart. What I saw that impressed me the most was his cannon from the outfield. For a young guy that can hit and run, an arm like his will further help him succeed in minor-league ball on his journey to the big leagues.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN0XcNDT6lw[/youtube]

You could consider the Orioles’ 3^rd round pick Chance Sisco a bit of a surprise. Sisco is a catcher that converted to behind the plate after spending most of his time at shortstop. Many have tried this move, and many have failed. Sisco however sounds like he is ready to take the next step, and has shown that he is very comfortable behind the plate according to Orioles scouting director, Gary Rajsich.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Rajsich talked to the media and spoke to Sisco’s skills:

“And Chance Sisco, he just started catching this year. But he is a hitter that also catches. We like his bat a lot. We think he is going to have power. And he just started catching and is a natural back there. He is very flexible. Something to work with. He has got a chance to learn and be a real good catcher. He has a chance to be a front-line catcher. So we’re thrilled in that we’ve got three physical kids with upside.”

Rajsich talked about Sisco’s bat which is very impressive. You’ll see in the tape below the kind of hitter the 6’2” ball-player is. His swing looks very smooth and he will be another guy that will continue getting better with advanced coaching. The catching will come, as Rajsich eluded to. Being a consistent hitter as a catcher is a rare combination (as O’s fans who are frustrated with Matt Wieters’ bat can attest). Should Sisco sculpt his catching ability – maybe with a little help from Wieters – he has a chance to be a very interesting prospect.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSsCZEzV8Zo[/youtube].